Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-05-18
CHINESE DOCTORS IN AMERICA.



asn"Si> aud Treatment.
Many of the Chinese stores in our Amer
lean cities keep Il supply Of Chinese drugs
and all Of them sell Chinese proprietary
medicines. such rs pills To and digestion
the red pills. Sha hi un for cholera.
catarrh snun and other specifics com
pounded in the Canton drug shops. These
are always neatly packed and labeled, and
accompanied with printed directions for
their use
The doctors, called shang Of whom
there are now four in Philadelphia, are
usually from the sam zap. or Three
Districts" Immediately adjacent 10 Can
ton city. They are much better educated
than the mass Of the people None of any
repute at home come 10 America, but it il
said there are several very skilled ones in
san Francisco and some of the western
cities who have a large practice among
Americans. Those IN New York and
Philadelphia rank very low in their pro
freson in The estimation Of their country
men. They are all digniiied with the title
Of sin shang. equivalent 10 master or
teacher, the only t'le Of respect current
among the Chinese III the American cities,
and shared with the men who manage the
drawings "f the lotteries
4 slight knowledge Of medicine is gen.
eral among the people. They have been
accustomed 10 take medicines from their
childhood. when their mothers, by kind
Of sortiege. selected some simple presCrip-
ton to relieve their infantile complaints.
The study of the physician art is not con
fined 20 their doctors. Many others buy
and read works On the subject that are
sold in their stores. in which very e4act
directions are given for the treatment of
all the diseases known To them.
The book generally referred to is the
''Tsang KAN kan" or The Golden
Mirror of Medicine, " a collection of medical
works compiled by order of the Emperor
kienlung in 1s40. The Canton reprint
sold here il contained in forty small octave
volumes. the first thirty of which are de
voted TO nui TO or internal medicine
while the remaining ten comprise the KAN
kan nwpi 70. or Golden Mirror of EXter-
nal Practice by 'Ng Him. The price
OF the complete set here is about 81 u.
White the Chinese in our eastern cities
are super titrOus, and cherish many OF
their native beliefs. they do not worship
any particular god of medicine, and the
practice Of medicine among them is com
piIullNtlN Tree Iltil
vauces. Sick people sometimes burn
copies of the charms found in the popular
works on divinatiun and magic. and drink
tea made from the ashes. but this j. done
with very little serious belief in the eff
cacy of such treatment.
In cases OF prolonged Illness, A friend of
the sick person il sometimes sent TO the
local shrine OF kwan tai, the divinity
generally wUrshiped, to burn incense and
ask the Will of heaven as To his recovery
by throwing the divining sticks.
Diseases which do not succumb TO
the treatment after l,1ng correctly
diagnosed and the right medicine admin
istered are looked upon a. due 10 the in
fluence Of Il spirit or devil Hysteria is
generally regarded as an evidence of
demonaC possession.
The doctors show much solicitude about
administering any medicine that may
cause a fatal result, owing. no doubt, 10
the penalties inflicted in China upon such
misadventures, 81 that their treatment in
general, if not beneficial. does no particu-
lar harm to their patieGts.-Medical and
Reporter.